Inhalation therapy is the art of treating a patient with a breathable gas (such as air, oxygen, oxygen-enriched air) with moisture added thereto. Inhalation therapy devices include gas-bubbler devices and nebulizers for that purpose. The moisture can be provided by bubbling the breathable gas through a body of water or by atomizing or nebulizing water particles and thereafter combining such water particles with the breathable gas. Either method results in humidification of the breathable gas.
It is known to blow mold hermetically sealed liquid containers of the gas-bubbler type, containing acetic or sterile aqueous liquids, typically sterile water, for use in inhalation therapy. For example, each of U.S. Pat. No. Re. 27,155 to Hansen and U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,153 to Weiler et al. disclose an apparatus for making such a container. Each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,807,713 to Cornett et al.; 3,903,216 to Allan et al.; and 4,187,951 to Cambio discloses a container of this general type. U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,328 to Cambio discloses the method of making the container described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,951 to Cambio.
Conventional gas-bubbler type humidifier containers typically include at the bottom thereof a gas-diffuser device for passing the breathable gas through the liquid contained therein. One problem with conventional humidifier containers of the gas-bubbler type is that an audible bubbling sound can be heard as the gas passes through the liquid in the container. To many an inhalation therapy patient such a bubbling sound is unpleasant and can even be disturbing. Also, in conventional humidifier containers bubbles tend to stick to the container wall and tend to grow in size undesirably before rising through the liquid.
Such large gas bubbles not only tend to erupt more violently when breaking the liquid surface than small gas bubbles, but are known to be less efficient for gas humidification purposes.